Health-enhancing products are drawing more and more attention today, highlighting the recent social trend toward greater health-consciousness. Among such products, the apparel being worn in day-to-day life is being recognized as having the potential to improve and enhance our health. However, while the materials emitting far-infrared and magnetic energies, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open Nos. 1-935064 and 5-69104, and the carbonized fiber as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open No. 63-199110, are among the known healthy fiber products, these products are primarily intended for the cure of diseases, and there aren't many technologies available for treating fibrous substrates for health-enhancement purposes.
Furthermore, certain particles, when bonded to underwear and hosiery, are known to provide deodorizing and antibacterial effects as well as greater appeal to the sense of touch. Examples of such products include underwear that is topically bonded with an odor-absorbing titanium compound like sodium carbonate or sodium hydrogen carbonate (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 52-21951); socks treated with metallophthalocyanine for improved antibiotic and deodorizing effects (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 63-112701, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open No. 7-9906); and antibacterial undershorts/panties topically bonded with bivalent or trivalent iron salt (Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open No. 2-3402).
Among other known products are fragrant pantyhose having textile fabrics bound together with an acrylic-acid binder and using microcapsules containing fragrance as a wall material (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 4-100901); pantyhose containing a mixture of polyoxyalkylene glycol and sulfonic-acid metal salt for improved touch (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 4-241101); non-woven fabric treated with chitin and chitosan derivatives for greater antibacterial and antifungal effects (publication of unexamined patent application No. 4-272273); pantyhose made with an ideal mixture of polyamide fiber that is free of titanium oxide for better transparency, flatness, gloss and fit (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 7-157902); a fiber product treated with chitosan solution for the improved absorption and dissipation of perspiration (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 9-228249); a dress shirt treated with a combination of polysulfonic acid and quaternary ammonium salt for better antistatic effect (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 9-268476); socks, pantyhose and other hosiery bonded with epigallo catechin gallate (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 10-195701); a thermal cloth bonded with ceramic powder (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 11-269761); a fiber structure treated with ascorbic acid for a more refreshing feel and pain-relieving effect (Registered Japanese Patent No. 2562233); socks bonded with tourmaline to reduce foot perspiration and relieve fatigue (Registered Japanese Utility Model No. 3040113); and socks treated with mineral salt (Registered Japanese Utility Model No. 3028232). However, these products have a long way to go in fulfilling the demands of today's health-oriented society.
Compared to such metals as iron, copper or aluminum, metallic titanium is a relatively newly discovered metallic material. The physical properties of titanium—namely its low weight and high strength, the latter of which is exhibited even at high temperatures—have found use in many fields. In the industrial sector, titanium is used in jet engine in the aeronautics and space industry, and in the tubing and tube sheets in the heat exchangers of nuclear and thermal power generators in the energy industry. Titanium is also used in eyeglass frames, golf club heads and other articles of everyday life. Moreover, titanium is likely to expand its range of applications.
The use of metallic titanium in everyday articles, health and medical articles and cosmetics is relatively well known. Examples include barber's scissors with titanium film coatings (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 62-268584); the utilization of far-infrared rays through dissolved metallic titanium (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 61-59147, 1-155803 and 3-112849); bedding (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 8-322695); cooking utensils (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 9-140593); eye masks (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 10-71168); health-maintenance devices (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 11-285541 and 11-285543); health bands (Registered Japanese Utility Model No. 3045835); and health slippers (Registered Japanese Utility Model No. 3061466). However, no attempt has been made to bond fiber materials, such as clothing and garments, with metallic titanium for health-enhancement purposes.
As mentioned earlier, there are no known technologies that use metallic titanium for functional water or the like, except that a relevant technology is applied to the drinking-water production system that takes advantage of electro-osmosis with the use of metallic titanium as a negative electrode (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 50-40779). While much is anticipated regarding the potential applications of titanium in the fields of bioactive materials, food ingredients and medical products, to date none of those potential applications has taken shape.
The inventors of the present invention have studied the effective use of titanium for health purposes, and as a result have developed a highly functional water—which contains dissolved titanium obtained by combusting the metallic titanium at high temperature generated by the combustion gas, which is in turn produced by burning oxygen and hydrogen in high-pressure water within a pressure-resistant container—along with a method and apparatus for manufacturing the same. A patent application has already been filed for the above invention (Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-136932). The present invention is intended to apply the titanium-dissolved water obtained through the above manufacturing method and apparatus for use in the treatment of fibrous substrates.